Bottega Louie

One of my castmates in Follies, the ever talented Jan Maxwell, brought me a very special present the other day:  a small light blue box with a beautifully tied ribbon around it from Bottega Louie.  This cavernous Italian restaurant and marketplace located in downtown Los Angeles has a dessert display that is molto impressive!  I was delighted to open my present and find four gorgeous macarons right in a row wrapped in engraved tissue paper.  (Bottega Louie doesn’t skimp on presentation!)  The colors from each cookie were so vibrant and attractive, bright orange to mustard yellow.  Macarons are so delicate and a bit prissy.  They have the ability, in just one bite, to fool you into thinking that you are sitting on a Rue in Paris, with a glass of Champagne, living the life of the elite.  I love to make sure my “macs” are room temperature when I indulge.  It ensures that the light crispy meringue and sweet filling melts in my mouth.  These four cookies were light, fresh, and chewy.  It may sound a tad boring, but the vanilla macaron is always my favorite flavor.  It’s simplicity is near perfection every time.  Bottega Louie is a definite must stop when in LA and the perfect place to go before seeing a show downtown.